From Astro with love!

(posted this blog on star online blog - malaysia)

This morning, I received a letter from Astro, saying it has increased its sports package, by a whopping RM12 per month, with immediate effect! Next month’s bill will show the new total to be paid.

Doesn't the government have any control on this matter, the price increase, by Astro? Are only the rich allowed to be fans of sports?

This is the result of having only one company to monopolize the satellite channels. It can increase prices at its own whims and fancies.

I am not wealthy. I am on to Astro mainly for the world news and the live sports coverage. I will gladly accept if Astro can provide the sports package alone, so will thousands of others.

The price increase by Astro seems to be well timed, what with the World Cup Soccer finals being held just next year.

Relax!

Times have changed

1. Gone are the days when priests used telepathy to communicate. Now they use hand phones!

2. Gone are the days when boys going out in the evening to play football would come back with their legs weak. Nowadays they come back with their fingers weak!

3. Gone are the days when you can buy a notebook for 20 cents. Now they cost a few hundred dollars!

4. Gone are the days when you cannot sing when brushing your teeth. Now you can shout all you want with the teeth in your hands.

5. Gone are the days when you used a postman to send your letters. You are the postmaster now! Sending emails!

Answers from students

History teacher: Who discovered the radio?

Response 1: When did it go missing?

2: Which one? Yours or ours?

3: My brother found one behind the tree.

4: Still could not be found. Shall I make a police report?

Geography teacher: Where is Liberia?

Response 1: Who is she?

2: Went to the loo, I think.

3: Hey, Liberia! Where are you?

4: Is she the Statue of Liberty?

Teacher to student: What is the meaning of this?

Student: Well, ‘this’ means the matter or object near you.

Top news of the day

(The Star Online)Monday July 27, 2009

Yasmin Ahmad laid to rest

By NURBAITI HAMDAN and ZALINAH NOORDIN

PETALING JAYA: Award-winning director Yasmin Ahmad, 51, was laid to rest at the SS22 Muslim Cemetery yesterday.

My Comment: Innumerable tributes are pouring in for this great woman. Her contributions to the development of the Malaysian cinema saw no racial boundaries. Her extraordinary talent as a film and advertising director (has won several notable awards) was admired and praised by all the races in Malaysia. This is why her demise is such an heartbreaking news for the Malaysians.

On 7, 2Monday July 2009 (the Starline)

Gates reassures Israel on U.S.-Iran strategy

By Jim Wolf

My Comment: Looking at the title, one can be excused for wondering whether Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates JR. was such an important person that his assurance was very important to Israel, what with the news of his skirmish with Sgt James Crowley of Cambridge Police Department just having been news casted recently! Ha! Ha! Read on!

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates moved to reassure Israel on Monday that Washington's bid to talk Iran into giving up sensitive nuclear work was worth pursuing, despite the reticence so far from Tehran.

My Comment: Oops! Wrong Gates…eh? Luckily no recent eye-catching news about Bill Gates!

Obama in hot soup

An article in a newspaper:

Obama says police acted 'stupidly' in arrest

By ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writer

Wed Jul 22, 10:09 pm ET

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Wednesday that police acted "stupidly" in the arrest of prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and that despite racial progress blacks and Hispanics are still singled out unfairly for arrest.

…………………

"Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof he was in own home," Obama said during a prime-time news conference that otherwise focused on the health care debate.

Well, President Obama seems to have got himself into a problem that he didn’t want, by using the adjective ‘stupid’ to describe the action of Cambridge police.

Though all the while I have been saying I was a great admirer of President Obama, I do have to say that President Obama should not have said the word that he said. He himself seemed to have 'acted stupidly’ by saying that the police ‘acted stupidly’ in arresting Harvard scholar, Gates. One may be forgiven for saying that success has gone into Obama’s head, incapacitating him to act or say things with detachment, without prejudice. In the first place, he could have at least said words like ‘the Cambridge police were wrong in this case’ or better still, ‘the sergeant was wrong’. Unfortunately, due to his ignorance of the consequences, he had implicated the police force by saying that the Cambridge ‘police’ had acted ‘stupidly’. Now the police forces of the world will be eagerly watching the outcome of this ‘stupid’ utterance, not to mention the expectation of the police force of USA, of an act of penance from their president.

The only honourable way out for the President Obama is to say sorry to Sgt James Crawley, the Cambridge police and the general police force of USA, and that too, immediately. Any delay by explanations and excuses will only aggravate the situation, what with his popularity poll already going on the downside with the economy still not on the recovery road. Already, it has been said that in Cambridge, police union members have held a news conference in solidarity behind Sgt Crawley and are requesting a formal apology from Obama for his emotional outburst.

Unifying Through Soccer

About 85,000 Malaysian soccer fans watched the first game between Manchester United and Malaysia on July 18, 2009. What a huge crowd! This, clearly, shows that Malaysians are, indeed, passionate about football. A sea of red - the Manchester United FC colour - was seen markedly around the Bukit Jalil Stadium. According to a news article printed in a Malaysian daily, one jersey itself costs RM259. Only a devoted soccer fan will come forward with that amount of money, to purchase a jersey, that he was going to wear for only a few hours in a year.

Football has that much hold on the people of Malaysia, attracting huge crowds whenever a good game is in store; crowds of all races, religion and creed. Now, this game can be used to promote unity amongst the Malaysians. 

Actually, true sports does not recognize human colour. One who is capable and is wiling to strive for excellence, excels in his sport. And one who excels in the sport that he has chosen, will be, in turn, chosen by the officials of authority of that sports to represent the country. That’s fine, and that’s the way it should be. And that is exactly what has been done by the sports authorities in Malaysia. Congratulations to them. However, sadly, that is where the predicament of displaying unity in sports lies. Take that game of Manchester United and Malaysia, for instance. Malaysia, being comprised of various races, it was very conspicuous. We could only see the Malay and Indian players on the field, that day. Sadly, not even one Chinese player was on the field, let alone on the bench. Agreed that the managers and the coaches chose only the best players around, but in Malaysia, where, we are aiming for unity of the races, through the 1Malaysia concept, they should have chosen at least one Chinese player to represent the nation. Just imagine, what good that should have done to uplift the spirit of the Malaysian citizens of Chinese roots!

Good Chinese players are abound in Malaysia. One could see them enjoying football in the fields around the nation. They have their clubs. They are not strangers to football. We have seen the likes of Soh Chin Aun, James Wong, Ong Yu Tiang, Kang Hung Meng, just to mention a few of the football greats of the past. Therefore, to say that there aren’t any good Chinese players to pick would be an understatement.

Currently, there are Chinese players playing for the states. If they can play for the states, they should be good enough to play for the nation, after having given the necessary training and coaching. Surely, we can choose at least one of them and expose him to international football, develop him and utilize him for the holistic purpose of instilling the feeling of pride and oneness of all Malaysians. He may not be on par with the others in the team, but this is where flexibility and a bit of backwards bending are called for, in support of the nation’s vision of 1Malaysia. 

Who knows, after regular exposure to vigorous and quality football we may yet see another Soh Chin Aun or Ong Yu Tiang.

Malaysia, home sweet home!

Go anywhere you want but you cannot find a place like Malaysia.I like living in Malaysia because:

I can throw rubbish out from the car freely anywhere I want. No worries.

I can weave my car in and out of traffic, left and right. Quick travelling made easy!

I can throw rubbish in drains and rivers. So convenient!

I can spit and blow my nose anywhere publically. Malaysians don’t mind.

I love paying tolls every few kilometers before I reach my destination. I like charitable work!

I can scream away in my hand phone. Malaysians are quite deaf.

I like cops and crooks stories. There are plenty in Malaysia. Only that there are more crooks than police.

I like to see money-lending stickers covering up all the signboards. So many different sizes and colours!

I like the easy monetary loans and the daily payment system. All the collateral you need is your life.

I love to see the schoolchildren fraught with language switches in schools. Better than computer games!

Magic Shows

There is no magic in magic shows anymore. I wonder if there are any magic shows anymore in the world, what with the secrets of the ‘magic’ displays having been revealed on the TVs.

In Malaysia, on the Astro TV channel AXN, on every Thursday at 9 pm, there is the all-revealing program called ‘Breaking the magician’s code’. I have never seen such an exciting and enlightening show anywhere. You can call me a ‘frog under the shell’, but that is the truth. Only now, I have been enlightened about the tricks of the trade of the ‘magic’ shows. The back stage people, their spot-on-time actions, the doubles, the electrical and electronic machines and gadgets, the hidden compartments, disillusioning mirrors; Wow! So much technological equipments and activities being performed at the back, hidden from viewers’ sights, to bring about that deceptive illusion in the viewers’ minds! No sorcery involved at all; the 'magic' brought about by the precision timing of men and machine!

The Astro TV Company has my heartiest commendation and regards for presenting such an excellent show. May this good work be continued.

Old Folks' Tale!

 ‘The flesh is old, the spirit is young’ this is the tongue in cheek reply given by the old-timers when confronted with their activities that only befit the young ones, may they be good or bad. To these old-timers, I say "Your spirits are also old, if you are caught into the following behaviors. Ha! Ha!" 

No excuses this time! Do not take it seriously, though. Just reminding for fun! 

 1. You are old if you search for your glasses, all the while wearing them! 

 2. You are old if you search for your car keys when just seconds ago you put it into your pocket! 

 3. You are old when you switch on the light when you want the fan! You forgot the switches, didn't you? Ok, it happens! 

 4. You are old if you wonder whether you have eaten your lunch! 

 5. You are old when you walk straight ahead when your friend is smiling at you! 

 6. You are old when you realize that you have got to brush your remaining teeth without toothpaste for the third day in a row because you forgot to buy it again, when you went for a walk!

 7. You are old when shopkeepers call after you to take away the goods that you have just bought! 

 8. You are old if you go back to the toilet to check whether you have flushed it! 

 9. You are old if you remembered suddenly, while having a meal in a restaurant, that you did not put any coins inside the parking meter! 

 10. You are old when you start to reread the, ‘How to have a superpower memory’ book.

Michael Owen

Michael Owen, is a good example of a man who lived on past glory, and then was, suddenly, given the rarest of chances to make use of that glory, to turn himself into a formidable footballer, once more. He is 29 years old, now, and has at least another 6 years, or so, to shine all over again.

He had been a prolific goal scorer in his days at Liverpool and then signed on to Real Madrid. Unfortunately, this move ended in disappointment for he was sparingly used by the management, for reasons known only to them. Disappointed in not being able to get a regular place in the Real Madrid team he gradually moved to Newcastle. There, too, he did not fare any better, with his injuries and the goal-scoring prowess greatly weakened. The team went down to the lower division. 

Just when one thought his footballing days were numbered, out comes, no other than, the great Manchester United, giving him a new lease in his footballing life, and what a lease it is! Manchester United is not anybody’s kind of a football team. It is the second richest club in the world, the first one being Real Madrid. Its fan base is huge, with huge crowds, thronging around, awaiting their appearance wherever they go. The team will be in Kuala Lumpur this weekend. It will be the first time Michael Owen will be playing together in the team. The football world will be watching how he performs.

One can safely say that even Michael Owen would not have expected this, the signing of him by Alex Ferguson, the sleek and successful manager of Manchester United. Well, good for him and wishing him all the best, in this divine given golden opportunity, to show the world the great striker that he really is.

My post in our Malaysian Prime Ministers Blog - 1Malaysia

A humble request

Wednesday, 01 July 2009

Dear honourable PM. I am proud that I at last have a PM of my beloved Malaysia who is so humble to have a blog for the people to keep in close contact with him. I know your 1Malaysia concept is very heartfelt - to unite the various races in Malaysia. Your blog is one of the paths in achieving that. However, in doing so, I am sad to say that you seem to have unknowingly neglected to give importance to a basic pride of the Indians - the Tamil language. Your blog accomadates only three of the four main languages of the nation, clearly neglecting the Tamil language. As we know our education system also gives importance to the teaching of the language in the educational institutions. As such I am sure a suitable candidate could be found in dealing with the language in your blog. Having a Tamil version will go a long way in helping the Indians to feel that they are indeed a requisite for the needs of 1Malaysia concept. I thank you PM for letting me have my opinion expressed out.

by D.G. Govindasami

1Malaysia through language

Although there is an outcry of dissatisfactions regarding the Malaysian government’s recent final decision on the education policies, it has to be admitted that the government has recognized the importance of English in the world today. This, it had proved by its decision to implement various steps to speed up the good grasp of the English language by its people The allocation of an huge sum of RM5 billion just for the development of the language alone is a clear sign of its commitments.

Going to the disgruntlements to the decision of reverting to Bahasa Malaysia in the teaching of science and mathematics, this is a just a marginal issue. The argument that students can only make an easy grasp and quick steps of progress only with the subjects being taught in English is not very convincing. The advocators for ‘science and maths in English’ point out that even advanced nations like S.Korea, China, Japan, Germany, France, Russia, etc. now are eagerly going for the education of the English Language for their people due to their recognition of the language’s role in the commercial and technological world. Accepted that the substantiation of this is unbreakable and compelling, it has to be agreed that these nations attained their technological and scientific advancement, using their own languages, much before their willingness to accept to English as an international language, a language of international trade and commerce. They had done it. Why not we? We are no lesser beings than they are.

Therefore, let us give the government our support to its eagerness and pledges to push for advancements and 1Malaysia, through the patriotic and resilience use of our own national language.

Coming back to the issue of the government being committed to the improvement of English language, it has been announced that English Literature is going to be introduced in Primary schools. It is hoped that the studying of English Literature is not stopped there but continued throughout, to at least to PMR level, if not to SPM, as had been practiced 3 decades before. Scholars of those years and subsequently the present well-versed senior citizens, will agree that it was the slow and meticulous study of English Literature that made them to be knowledgeable in the language today.

Unforgettable Sports Siblings

The Williams sisters made the sports headlines yet again. In the recently held Wimbledon Tennis Tournament (22nd June to 5th July), Venus Williams, the elder sister and Serena Williams, the younger, faced each other in the final again. They had met each other in the previous Wimbledon finals 7 times in 9 years! That was not an easy feat to accomplish. This time around, yet again, both of them combined in the women’s double and emerged champions, playing on the same day as their singles final! In the singles final, Serena had beat her elder sister to capture the prestigious Wimbledon Cup. It is noteworthy to point out that they had combined and won the women’s doubles title 3 times previously in the Wimbledon Tennis Tournaments. They would surely go into the history books, if they had not done that already.

Malaysia, too, is no stranger in producing famous siblings of sports. Who can forget the legends in the badminton arena, of brothers Razif Sidek and Jalani Sidek in the men’s doubles? The brothers won 29 international double titles in the eighties. Malaysia took one step further by having another sibling together in the tournaments. He was no other than the charismatic Misbun Sidek, the famous singles player of the badminton world of the time. He captured 13 international singles titles during the same era of the other two brothers. If that was not enough following them later into the nineties was a younger brother, Rashid Sidek displaying his prowess in the singles, beating the best in world of badminton of his time! He has 12 singles titles under his belt. Then there was Rahman Sidek, the last of the Sidek brothers. Though he was not very well known in the international arena of badminton he made a name for himself domestically, winning the local championships. Five internationally distinguished brothers in one sport in just a decade. That is a world record of sort.

pic :The Sidek brothers(from left to right)Misbun, Rahman, Razif, Rashid, Jalani(http://www.viweb.freehosting.net/viig_sidek-bros.htm)

Fruit of thorns! Ouch!

I have a confession to make. I am a confirmed diabetic and I am not supposed to consume foods and drinks that are sugary. In addition, I have been strongly advised by the folks around, who know of my condition, to strictly avoid foods and drinks such as ice cream, cakes, sweets, gassed drinks, (like my favourites - sarsi and cococola) rice to an extent, sugared drinks - tea, coffee, etc., including even my darling chendol! (the coconut milk, brown sugar, chendol leaf drink).

Fruits to avoid were durians (number 1 in the list, but last in my willingness to avoid!) bananas, chikus, etc. To emphasize my love for the durians, here is a short anecdote! Once upon a time, not long ago,  I drove out with my then 24-year-old son to the Taiping ‘airport’. See, ‘airport’ is in the inverted commas? This is because, practically, you will find no aeroplanes or helicopters there, even if you strolled along there the umpteenth time. Not even a pitiful kite, mind you! Birds, yes, but who goes to airports to see birds! Well, here in the Taiping ‘airport’, you will only see the dilapidated buildings that stand as testimonies of the place having been used during the colonial times for military purposes.

You see, we had heard news from friends that parachute jumpings were going on at the ‘airport’. And we decided to make it our immediate destination. My son, having turned into a photograph enthusiast recently, armed himself with his Nikon camera and we were on our way! We reached the place in 20 minutes’ time.

Yes, a helicopter was there! But the front part of the helicopter (sorry, the actual word refuses to come into my mind) had already been covered by a canopy, indicating that the proceedings of the day had ended, and perhaps, indeed the whole affair, since we also saw things being carried onto a lorry. The two big tanks attached to the side of the copter had clear big writings on them, stating BOMBA. Oh, so it was the fire and rescue department having its training. I asked my son to take a photo of the helicopter, for all our trouble. He did not want to demean his pet camera by snapping at a hooded helicopter! He, however, obliged me with his hand phone.

Having failed in our venture, we started to drive back to our house. Now being the durian season, there were durian stalls at every odd corners of the roads. We passed one. The sweet, strong smell of the durians was too much for me to bear. I asked my son of about buying some durians. My son, bless his soul, he being no less crazy for durians than I am, immediately nodded his head. That was it! The green signal has been given! Be it a flimsy excuse! The car stopped and out I went. And in came a bunch of sweet smelling durians! They emitted the pungent smell in the car all the way home. Who cared? I cared! I adored the smell!

For the non-Malaysian readers of this blog, the Latin name for the fruit is Durio zibethinus. Durians are round to oval shaped fruits, more or less about the size of a soccer ball, with their husks having greenish to greenish-yellow colours. The sharp and thick thorn like husks envelop the mostly white to yellowish fleshy fruits inside. The aroma emitted by the fruits is not far from smell of ammonia gas. It is more on the sweeter side of ammonia gas. Sweeter side of ammonia gas? Ha! Ha! That's a good one! But boy! Don’t the Malaysians love it! Well, ...ahem...maybe not all Malaysians.

We reached home. My mother and wife were excited to see the durians, but they did not show it, their excitement, I mean, on their faces. They were afraid to show it, lest it would encourage me to bring home more durians in future, they being the first ones to have implored me not to consume sweet foodstuffs. Their actions proved otherwise. A knife to split open the durians, a clean cloth to hold on to the durian while splitting and the spread of old newspapers on the floor within such a short period were a giveaway! Well, who can avoid devouring the all-compelling durians? Durians, being kings, we can only make confessions.

World's problems - ideal solutions, anyone?

North Korea is conducting underground nuclear tests, firing test rockets and launching missiles after missiles, but the world with its UN body and superpowers do not seem to be able to do anything to stop it. Sanctions of weapon embargo are not getting anywhere in halting these activities. In fact, the more the talks of sanctions by the UN Security Council, the more eagerly North Korea is launching the test missiles and test rockets!

In Myanmar, pro democratic opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for several years now and no one is able to do anything to get her released. Even the UN secretary-genaral's visit for that very purpose ended in failure. The leader of the military junta did not even allow him to visit her, let alone pave the way for an immediate solution for her plight.

The civil war between the Sri Lankan government forces and the Tamil Tigers had been going on for so long and the authorities of the world seemed helpless. It just seemingly ended after the endless killings and maimings of the masses. One fears that it has not ended yet, concretely.

The Israeli and Palestinian deadly confrontations have been a daily affair for decades now. And the people are yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Killings after killings are the order of the day but no definite solution in sight.

Whither the powerful bodies and the more powerful men of the world? Are you lost for ideas for solutions for the problems of the world? It clearly seems so. All you have up your sleeves are sanctions – trade embargo on of food, fuel, weapons, etc. against the rogue nations. And they have not worked. But you are still adamant of using the same solution for all the problems. It is time for you to sit together and search out for more revelations. Otherwise, these problems will just remain as precedents, with more trouble spots and tribulations to follow, encouraged by the incompetence of the leaders.

The USA Soccer Team - Yes, we can!

Yes, we can! That was the campaign slogan that Barack Obama used, successfully, to win the American presidential elections. This battle cry of some sort, seemed to have had stuck on the USA soccer team. In the recently held Confederations Cup soccer competition in South Africa, the soccer team acted likewise, playing with true determination and confidence. Being a team not so well known in the soccer world, the USA team beat the likes of Spain which was sitting at the top of FIFA world rankings, and almost beat Brazil, a giant on its own in the field of soccer!

Yes, it lost to Italy 3-1. No disrespect to the other teams, but it was a delight to see the USA team beat Egypt and then Spain in the semi-final. In its game against Brazil in the final, the team being the underdog, in my heart, I was truly guilty of wishing to see it beat the mighty Brazil. Never mind that it had lost to Brazil in the earlier round by 3 – 0.

Sadly, the team lost to Brazil 3 – 2. And it was leading 2 – 0 before half-time!

We, too, have our own slogan – Malaysia Boleh. This didn’t seem to have hit our soccer team. Perhaps it is time for us to change the slogan.

In the latest FIFA rankings the USA team had jumped up to 12^th from 31^st. Well done to the players and officials! You are minnows no more!